Book: I, Alex Cross by James Patterson

Alex Cross is back and this time he's investigating the grisly murder of his estranged Niece.

Cross discovers that she was working as a high class call girl and her last appointment was with a man known only as Zeus. Being a whodunnit of sorts we miss out on Zeus' thoughts and motives as the book concentrates on the investigation and on the seriously ill Nana Mama (Cross' Grandmother who has raised him and his own kids too).

The strength of this series is the pace, helped quickfire short chapters, it moves along briskly as Cross uncovers layer after layer of cover ups leading to very powerful figures.

As good as it is I wouldn't recommend this as a starting point for the series (go to Kiss The Girls for that) but there is plenty on offer to keep fans happy.

Ric's Rating: 72%

Book: Cross Country by James Patterson

Alex Cross is on the trail of yet another psychopath in this latest offering of
the long running series.

This one starts with a bang as Cross is called to a murder scene only to realise that one of the victims is an old flame of his and the pace and action doesn't let up as the pursuit of those responsible leads to Nigeria.

The change of setting is very welcome and throws Cross into a world where he is an Alien and struggling to even survive from the get go while trying to remain focused on his reason for being there, confronting The Tiger. A small complaint about Cross himself is that he remains whiter than white in even the most trying of circumstances, this is a character that could do with a few vices.

The Tiger is an horrendous villain and more than a match for Cross (who is without his huge buddy Sampson) in every way and this makes for a tense battle between the two.

Ghastly settings like the KiriKiri prison and the refugee camps bring home the horrors of Africa and some of the atrocities comitted reminded me of the film Blood Diamond, we have killer kids here too and anyone who enjoyed that film will like this.
Bear in mind that although Alex Cross was played adequately by Morgan Freeman in a couple of films (Kiss The Girls, Along Came A Spider) this is no sixty something character, Cross is still a reasonably young man.

A must for any fans of the series, this is also recommended to any fans of fast paced action thrillers and the short chapter format helps the story hurtle along to it's conclusion.

Ric's Rating: 88%